[NBA 2K9]From Zero to Hero - Closing Due to Crashes...

[Valor]

A lot of trades there. You lost pretty much your whole team! It'll be interesting to see how this first season goes. Post your roster.

thanks for reminding me, it's done

[Valor]

2009 NBA Draft Results








*Pacers 3rd Pick Ricky Rubio will go to Memphis Grizzlies via trade....

[Valor]

Wizards Signs Veteran Guard Lindsey Hunter
October 12th 2009


After a 111-116 loss to the Orlando Magic in their preseason games yesterday night, the Wizards management have announced today that they have successfully signed 38 year old guard Lindsey Hunter to the Roster.

The Deal is reported to be roughly around 1 million dollars for one year.

"We are extremely pleased at Hunter's addition to the team and what he can bring to the table" said Wizards GM Doug Collins "Lindsey has that championship experience that we need, having two championship rings himself and being an excellent defender in this league, we feel that our younger guards can really benefit from him and Eric (Snow) being on the team."

The 17 year veteran has career averages of 8.6ppg, 2.7 apg, 2.2 rpg, 1.2 spg in 924 games played. Hunter was a contributor on the Lakers team that won the NBA championship in 2001–02. As well as the 2003-04 NBA Champions Pistons team.

[Fresh8]

Is it me or do you disassemble all the teams you do a dynasty with? lol

[Valor]

Is it me or do you disassemble all the teams you do a dynasty with? lol

Only when they are rebuilding teams and have players that i don't like
I like to insert my own style of play into a team

[Valor]

Monthly Recaps: June-October 09
Part One: Offseason Recap

Transactions

- 23/06/09
Jazz Head Coach Jerry Sloan Retires
Nuggets Head Coach George Karl Retires
Rockets Head Coach Rick Aldeman Retires
Clippers Head Coach Mike Dunleavy Retires
Jazz Hires Head Coach Dean Baxter
Nuggets Hires Head Coach Reggie Theus
Rockets Hires Head Coach Jim O'Brien
Clippers Hires Head Coach Howard Samuels

- 18/07/09
2009 NBA Draft

- 18/07/09
Wizards Trade: Caron Buter, Javale McGee, Andray Blatche, DeShawn Stevenson
Grizzlies Trade: '09 1st round pick (2nd overall), Darius Miles

- 18/07/09
Wizards Trade: Nick Young, Darius Songaila, '09 2nd round pick (31st overall)
Lakers Trade: Trevor Ariza

- 18/07/09
Wizards Trade: Brendan Haywood
Hawks Trade: Othello Hunter

- 18/07/09
Wizards Trade: Javaris Crittenton, Dominic McGuire
Bobcats Trade: Demar DeRozan, Alexis Ajinca

- 18/07/09
Wizards Trade: Othello Hunter, '10 2nd round pick
Kings Trade: Jamaal Magloire

- 18/07/09
Wizards Trade: Darius Miles (SAC), Demar DeRozan (SAC)
Kings Trade: Kwame Brown (WAS), Greivis Vasquez (DAL)
Mavericks Trade: Gerald Green (WAS)

- 18/07/09
Wizards Trade: Etan Thomas (PHX), Mike James (PHX), Antawn Jamison (HOU)
Suns Trade: Shaquille O'Neal (WAS), Grant Hill (HOU)
Rockets Trade: Shane Battier (WAS), Brian Cook (PHX)

- 18/07/09
Pacers Trade: Ricky Rubio, Rasho Nesterovic, Troy Murphy
Grizzlies Trade: Andray Blatche, Michael Conley, Rudy Gay, Darko Milicic

- 30/07/09
Spurs Sign Robert Swift to 4 yr/$18.46M Deal
Bobcats Sign Juan Dixon to 3 yr/$16.67M Deal

- 31/07/09
Celtics Sign Brandon Bass to 4 yr/$23.30M Deal
Raptors Sign Linas Kleiza to 5 yr/$34.31M Deal

- 01/08/09
Thunder Sign Lamar Odom to 4 yr/$25.20M Deal
Thunder Sign Rasheed Wallace to 3 yr/$9.94M Deal
Hawks Sign Bobby Jackson to 1 yr/$1.54M Deal
76ers Sign Andres Nocioni to 5 yr/$33.47M Deal
Cavaliers Sign Marvin Williams to 3 yr/$14.88M Deal

- 02/08/09
Hawks Sign Ramon Sessions to 3 yr/$19.88m Deal
Knicks Sign Chris Wilcox to 5 yr/$27.30M Deal
Hawks Sign Chris Andersen to 2 yr/$9.26M Deal

- 03/08/09
Wizards Sign Eric Snow to 1 yr/$449k Deal
Mavericks Sign Stephon Marbury to 4 yr/$20.29M Deal
Thunder Sign Glen Davis to 4 yr/$27.79M Deal

- 06/08/09
Warriors Sign Shawn Marion to 4 yr/$34.42M Deal
Cavaliers Sign Wally Szczerbiak to 5 yr/$27.54M Deal
Mavericks Sign Theo Ratliff to 2 yr/$2.53M Deal

- 08/08/09
Kings Sign Paul Millsap to 4 yr/$47.30M Deal
T'Wolves Sign Mike Bibby to 3 yr/$24.37M Deal

- 09/08/09
Jazz Sign Mehmet Okur to 5 yr/$59.90M Deal
Rockets Sign Ron Artest to 6 yr/$65.94M Deal

- 16/08/09
Wizards Sign Leon Powe to 5 yr/$32.9M Deal
Pacers Sign Allen Iverson to 3 yr/$19.99M Deal
Blazers Sign Anderson Varejao to 4 yr/$30.91M Deal
Mavericks Sign Jason Kidd to 3 yr/$10.09M Deal

- 10/10/09
Nuggets Sign Willie Solomon to 4 yr/$18.28M Deal
Nuggets Sign Travis Diener to 4yr/$16.44M Deal

- 11/10/09
Spurs Fire Head Coach Gregg Popovich
Spurs Hire Head Coach Henry Sloan

- 12/10/09
Wizards Sign Lindsey Hunter to 1 yr/$1.05M Deal

- 26/10/09
Wizards Trade: Jamaal Magloire (NJ), Alexis Ajinca (OKC)
Nets Trade: Sean Williams (WAS), Trenton Hassell (OKC)
Thunder Trade: Shaun Livingston (NJ), Damien Wilkins (WAS)



Injuries

[Valor]

Monthly Recaps: October 09
Part Two: Preseason Recap

Preseason Results - 4W 3L

October 11th vs Orlando Magic
Loss 111-116
Outstanding Players
Orlando: Rafer Alston 17 pts 12 ast 3 stl, Dwight Howard 17 pts 9 reb 3 blk, Jameer Nelson 13 pts 7 ast
Washington: Gilbert Arenas 31 pts, Leo Lai 19 pts 7 ast, Blake Griffin 9 pts 7 reb, Shaquille O'Neal 7 pts 9 reb

October 14th @ Golden State Warriors
Loss 119-126
Outstanding Players
Golden State: Jamaal Crawford 34 pts 9 ast 3 stl 2 blk, Shawn Marion 22 pts 13 reb 6 ast, Monta Ellis 19 pts 8 ast
Washington: Leo Lai 25 pts 11 ast 3 stl, Shaquille O'Neal 23 pts 7 reb 2 blk, Blake Griffin 13 pts 12 reb, Eric Snow 3 pts 6 ast (off the bench)

October 16th vs Golden State Warriors
Win 127-119
Outstanding Players
Golden State: Jamaal Crawford 22 pts 13 ast, Shawn Marion 21 pts, Andris Biedrins 20 pts 9 reb
Washington: Shaquille O'Neal 26 pts 14 reb, Gilbert Arenas 31 pts 6 reb 7 ast, Leon Powe 16 pts 7 reb (off the bench), Leo Lai 15 pts 4 reb 7 ast, Blake Griffin 12 pts 8 reb 5 ast

October 18th @ Portland Trailblazers
Win 128-113
Outstanding Players
Portland: Brandon Roy 20 pts 7 reb 7 ast, Jerryd Bayless 25 pts 7 ast
Washington: Gilbert Arenas 40 pts 6 ast, Leo Lai 17 pts 7 ast 3 stl (5-5 FG), Leon Powe 15 pts 7 reb (off the bench), Trevor Ariza 11 pts 9 reb 2 stl

October 20th @ Houston Rockets
Loss 122-130
Outstanding Players
Houston: Kyle Lowry 11 pts 15 ast (off the bench), Tracy McGrady 22 pts 6 ast, Yao Ming 15 pts 10 reb
Washington: Gilbert Arenas 47 pts 5 reb 3 ast, Shaquille O'Neal 17 pts 6 reb 5 ast, Leo Lai 17 pts 9 ast, Blake Griffin 11 pts 8 reb

October 22nd vs Philidelphia 76ers
Win 127-92
Outstanding Players
Philidelphia: Andre Igoudala 16 pts 4 ast, Andre Miller 11 pts 11 ast
Washington: Gilbert Arenas 38 pts, Trevor Ariza 15 pts 6 reb 3 stl, Leo Lai 11 pts 12 ast 4 reb, Shaquille O'Neal 14 pts 6 reb 3 blk

October 25th vs Toronto Raptors
Win 108-101
Outstanding Players
Toronto: Chris Bosh 19 pts 6 reb
Washington: Leo Lai 17 pts 10 ast 3 stl, Shaquille O'Neal 18 pts 10 reb, Gilbert Arenas 23 pts


Washington Wizards Player Stats

- Bold Indicates Team Leader

[Valor]

Wizards get Williams, Wilkins in three team deal
October 26th 2009


The Washington Wizards have announced today that they have acquired Forward/Center Sean Williams as well as swingman Damien Wilkins in a three way trade earlier today.

The Trade involved the New Jersey Nets, the Washington Wizards, and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Wizards traded away Jamaal Magloire, who has only appeared in 2 of the preseason games for the Wizards and have yet to score, to his old team New Jersey Nets; as well as sending Alexis Ajinca to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The New Jersey Nets Sent their trouble maker Sean Williams to the Wizards, as well as disgruntled forward Trenton Hassell to the Thunder.

The Oklahoma City Thunder joined in to 'help' the two teams make the deal work under the salary cap, and offloaded recently signed Shaun Livingston, who was having problems with the management, to New Jersey, while also sending Damien Wilkins to the Wizards in exchange for Alexis Ajinca of the Wizards and Trenton Hassell of the Nets.

"We feel that these two players have a lot of potential for us to dig into, especially for Sean, i think that Shaq will take him under his wing and teach him some tricks of the trade in playing the F/C positions in this league, we hope that he can develop nicely into a player we can pair up alongside Blake (Griffin) in future years. Sean's athleticism is amazing and we feel we can help him reach the next level" said Doug Collins, GM of the Wizards

[Valor]

Wizards' Late Rally Not Enough to Overcome Orlando in Season Opener


Orlando, FL - Last season's disaster proved to be a blessing for the Wizards, as they landed themselves with the top pick in the draft, and made a couple of deals that got them the 2nd overall pick as well, along with skilled veterans and young prospects such as Shaquille O'Neal, Shane Battier, and Trevor Ariza. They opened the Season against the Orlando Magic, and despite being down by as much as 24 at one point, they rallied in the fourth quarter and came within 3 points from sending the game into overtime, but alas, it was not a fairytale ending for the Wizards as Gilbert Arenas missed the potential game tying 3 pointer, and the Wizards take a 123-126 loss in their season opener against Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic.

Howard led the way for the Magic with 28 points and 13 rebounds, and had plenty of help from his teammates in the form of Rashard Lewis and Jameer Nelson. Lewis had 21 points and 9 boards while Howard's pal Nelson scored 12 points and dished out a game high 14 assists.

"We are glad we got this win in our opener, they pressed us really hard in the fourth, and we were just lucky to come away with the win" said Howard after the game "we relaxed a bit too much but you've got to give them credit for finding the will to come back from being 24 down, props to them"

The Wizards were led by Gilbert Arenas, who had a game high 40 points in the loss, he also had 6 rebounds and 2 assists, and shot 15 for 27 from the field, including 7 for 12 from beyond the arc. Shaquille O'Neal had a decent game with 14 points and 7 rebounds, as well as 2 blocks and steals in just 23 minutes of play while Trevor Ariza had an all rounded game with 6 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals in 30 minutes.

"It's unfortunate that we walked away with the L, but i was happy that these new guys have the kind of effort required to win games, hopefully we can gel fast and return to the elite ranks this season" said Arenas after the game, but declined to comment when asked about his situation with the Wizards management. Rumor has it that Arenas has been very unhappy that the Wizards traded his pal Antawn Jamison away to the Rockets

Wizards' rookie duo Leo Lai and Blake Griffin, who were drafted 1st and 2nd overall respectively by the Wizards, both had a decent NBA debut. Lai came away with 19 points, 9 assists, 2 rebounds and a steal in 24 minutes, but struggled shooting the basketball, going 6 for 14 from the field, 1 for 6 from beyond the arc, but made up for it by drawing fouls and getting to the line, he had 6 for 10 from the charity stripe.

"I was a little nervous and kinda hesitated to shoot the ball a bit" said Lai after the game "Hopefully i can learn fast and make the correct decisions soon"

Griffin had 11 points, 7 rebounds and a block in his debut game, but only played 16 minutes before being fouled out.

"I'm gonna need to get use to the level of contact allowed, the physical aspect of the NBA game pretty quickly" said Griffin after the game.

The Wizards will make their home debut on November 1st against the 76ers






Highlights

[Valor]

Chapter 2

November 5th 2009
New Orleans Arena: Visitors Locker Room

"Nice game fellas, dinner's on me" said Arenas after the Wizards' 110-90 victory over the Hornets

"Hey thanks captain, but i reckon we shouldn't let the asian kid in" said Blake Briffin

"You mean Leo? whys that?" asked Gilbert "he did good today too"

"He should learn how to pass the damn ball properly first" answered Griffin "I was open under the basket so many times during the game and he didn't pass to me, and y'all know that i am one of the best when it comes to putting the ball into the hole. Instead, he goes and gets what? 4 turnovers and has 7 missed shots? not to mention he should work on his free throws, i've never seen a guard missing as many free throws as he does"

"What did you say?" said Lai quietly, rising from his seat "as i recall, you were only 5 for 14 from the field yourself, and you played more minutes then me"

"What, you are looking for a fight now? i can kick your asian ass back to china or whatever anytime kid" taunted Griffin

"You're all talk" answered Lai "if you are so confident, why not try and see what happens?"

"We'll see who laughs in the end" said Griffin as he threw a punch at Lai, Leo was slammed back into the locker but bounced back and tackled Griffin to the floor immediately, pinning Blake down and throwing punches on him

"Take this you bastard, that's for all the shit you've been throwing at me for the last few months" yelled Lai in between punches

Arenas, Shaq, and the rest of the team quickly got hold of both of the rookies and restrained them

"Guys, stop this crap, you guys are teammates, save your energy and help the team win games instead" said Battier "crap, coach's here..."

"Hey good effort today guys....what the hell happened?" said Head Coach Eddie Jordan

"Nothing Coach" answered O'Neal "Guys are just about to get changed"

"Nothing? Leo and Blake both are bleeding and have lots of bruises, just tell me what in the world happened here" demanded Jordan

"We already told you nothing so go away and work on your coaching ability so we can win more games you retard" snapped Arenas

"What? you son of a....you better watch what you say Arenas, that goes for the rest of you" yelled Jordan as he left the room for the hotel

------------------the next day, Wizards Front Office-------------------------

"Hey Doug, you've heard about the incident i assume?" asked Saunders

"Of course, i am thinking about what to do right now, seems like those two can't fit together or something" answered Doug

"Well, I reckon they just need someone to bring them to peace with each other, they are both competitive kids and i reckon Blake's too cocky for his own good sometimes" said Saunders "what do you think?"

"I agree, and i reckon, that that somebody isn't going to be Eddie, you heard about what Gil said, it ain't false either" answered Collins, "But who are we going to replace him with? we'll need someone that's capable of coaching the team into a powerhouse while getting rid of the team's problems and bringing them together as a unit"

"What about him? he's in semi retirement but i reckon we could persuade him to come...at a price of course" said Saunders

"We'll have to ask Abe about this"

------30 minutes later------

"Yes, of course, thank you Mr Pollin, good night" said Collins as he hung up the phone and dials a new number "Hello? this is Doug Collins of the Washington Wizards....."

-----1 hour later-----

"So we've reached an agreement? Thank you, looking forward to seeing you tomorrow morning"

"Well?" asked Saunders

"It's done" answered Collins as he rang another number..."Eddie? It's Doug, sorry but we've decided to go in a different direction, we need a stronger leader, we'll send the official document tomorrow morning" said Collins quickly and hanging up before Jordan could protest

----------The Next Morning, Verizon Center----------

"Welcome everyone, sorry for the short notice but i'll get straight to the point" announced Doug Collins "Coach Eddie Jordan has been relieved from his coaching duties as of today, and we are pleased to announce the hiring of Coach Pop, Gregg Popovich as the Wizards' new Head Coach!"

"Sir, Alex Smith from the Washington Post here, what were the factors in deciding this sudden coaching change?"

"Well, we've just decided that we need to go in a different direction if we were to succeed, Eddie is a great coach but we feel that Pop has the qualities that we need" answered Collins

"Is it related to the rumored incident in the locker room a few days ago?" asked the reporter

"I've heard of no incident that has occurred, this move was strictly based on needs" stated Collins firmly

"So, whats going to happen to Coach Jordan?" asked another reporter

"Eddie is relieved of his duties, we've reserved him a spot on the front office staff but he has declined, he is free to do whatever he wishes now" said Collins "I'll now hand over to Pop"

"Well, first, i must say i was shocked that i was fired in the offseason by San Antonio, it was tough for me but i understood it, i didn't do too well with the team last season and things needed a change" said Popovich "Thats behind me now, i am ready to help and lead this talented team on their journey to the top"

"Coach, What will you do about the rumored hostility in the locker room?

"I'll deal with it when i see it" answered Popovich "I'm sure that any 'hostility', if they indeed exist, are caused by misunderstandings, guys will get along, i'm sure of it"

"Coach, how will your rotations be around here?"

"Well, Eddie Jordan's rotation is pretty decent from the game tapes i saw, but some adjustments are going to be made" said Popovich "I'm really looking forward to training later and the game we have against the Knicks tonight"

[Valor]

Jordan Fired, Popovich to take over
November 7th 2009


The Washington Wizards have announced earlier today that they have fired head coach Eddie Jordan and replaced him with former San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich.

In six full seasons Jordan has guided the Wizards to four playoff appearances, including a second round appearance in 2005. However, after a dismal 21-61 season, speculation arise that Jordan has coached his last season with the Wizards, and while he survived the offseason and preseason, it seems like time is indeed up for Eddie after a rumored fight occurred in the Wizards locker room following their win over the Hornets in New Orleans 2 nights ago, The Wizards are currently 2-1.

Popovich, the NBA's Coach of the Year in 2003, has led the Spurs to four NBA Championships in his 11 seasons as the team’s head coach (1999, 2003, 2005 and 2007) , he is one of five coaches in history with four-or-more NBA Championships. He was fired from the Spurs in the offseason following a disappointing 39-43 season despite having a healthy roster, the Spurs did make the playoffs (surprisingly given that they are in the Western Conference...) but got swept in the first round.

The 76ers have announced that they are currently finalizing a contract with Jordan and head coach Maurice Cheeks will be fired shortly.

[H00PL0VE]

Tough loss and unsuspecting twist to the new Head Coach. Great locker room drama between Griffin and Lai. Good luck the rest of the way man!

[Lamrock]

"We already told you nothing so go away and work on your coaching ability so we can win more games you retard" snapped Arenas

I'm liking the decision to sign Pop and the storyline with Blake and Leo. I still don't like that you traded the whole team away, but I'm enjoying this. Keep it up.

[Fresh8]

Good work fighting

[kibaxx7]

Arenas shouting at Jordan was superb Good luck next game man.

[Valor]

Tough loss and unsuspecting twist to the new Head Coach. Great locker room drama between Griffin and Lai. Good luck the rest of the way man!

Thanks

"We already told you nothing so go away and work on your coaching ability so we can win more games you retard" snapped Arenas

I'm liking the decision to sign Pop and the storyline with Blake and Leo. I still don't like that you traded the whole team away, but I'm enjoying this. Keep it up.

Cheers bro, i am regretting sending away Antwan, it's just that him and Griffin overlap in positions so i had to get rid of one...Antwan's contract is big and i needed a dominating big so... Gil's not being too happy about it..team chemistry is still 0 and Gil is -14 right now...0.0

Good work fighting

hey, as the chinese proverb says, "no acquaintance is made without a fight" (不打不相識) so hopefully that and the influence of their new coach Popovich those 2 can sort out their differences

Arenas shouting at Jordan was superb Good luck next game man.

Thanks took me a while to come up with something that seemed like something that Arenas would say, for the record, i am on a 3 game winning streak right now

[Valor]

Wizards' O'Neal Wants Extension'
November 9th 2009


Just a week into the regular season, the Washington Wizards' newly acquired hall of fame center Shaquille O'Neal, in which they had gotten from Phoenix via trade on draftnight, has apparently settled in and is ready to sign an extension with the Wizards.

O'Neal's contract is in his last year of 20 million dollars, one of the major reasons behind the trade as the Free Agent class of 2010 is said to be specular with the likes of Lebron James and Dwyane Wade on the market, Shaq has been dominating this season thus far, but him being 37 years old now and turning 38 next year is certainly not good for the Wizards if they were to sign him to an extension, O'Neal would get a lot less then his current 20 million, but given that he's such a dominating player, he will still be expected to get a pretty big contract, the problem for the Wizards is that they would nearly have no cap room to sign any of the big impact players if they choose to extend the 7'1" 350 pound center.

[kibaxx7]

I like Shaq a lot but I wouldn't sign him to an extension, considering the 2010 free agent heaven.

[Martti.]

Arenas was torching in the first game, too bad you lost..
With Shaq, I would risk it. Let his 20M roll of your cap and sign some young big guy, depending on who's on the market.

[Valor]

I like Shaq a lot but I wouldn't sign him to an extension, considering the 2010 free agent heaven.

the problem is that who's gonna replace Shaq as the anchor down the middle? not Kwame Brown.....

Arenas was torching in the first game, too bad you lost..
With Shaq, I would risk it. Let his 20M roll of your cap and sign some young big guy, depending on who's on the market.

I don't think there are many, if any, quality bigs in the 2010 FA Market....i am going to wait and see a bit though, it all depends on who's available and how much Shaq is asking for in his extension/resign...

[Valor]

Chapter 3

November 14th 2009
TD Banknorth Garden: Wizards @ Celtics

It was the fourth quarter of this regular season game between the Wizards and the two time reigning NBA Champions Boston Celtics, 7:16 left on the clock, Celtics hold a 5 point lead....

It has been a scrappy game to say the least, both teams have been very physical and heavily defending the opponents, Only the big 3 has delivered any sort of offensive game for the Celtics while the Wizards enjoyed a more balanced spread of scores thanks to the surprising great night that reserves Gerald Green and Leon Powe has been having, with Powe being spectacular for the Wizards against his former team.

Blake Griffin is not happy, he has not had a good game at all, and has been in foul trouble throughout the game due to the physical play of Kevin Garnett and was extremely pissed from all the taunting by Garnett throughout the game, he also has a T from the first quarter arguing about a call....

"I'm going to make Garnett shut up for sure this time" thought Griffin as he took the pass from Arenas and went for a drive.....and ran right into Paul Pierce....

"CHARGING FOUL, WIZARDS NUMBER 23, BLAKE GRIFFIN" yelled Joey Crawford

"That's his 5th personal foul, we'll see if he could stay in the game....nope, looks like Gregg Popovich is not risking it anymore, with the score this close, they would be better off with Powe.....oh LOOK AT THIS" announced Mike Breen "Looks like Griffin is upset with the foul call and is yelling at Joey Crawford! this is not a smart move by the rookie..."

"HOW THE F**K CAN THAT BE A FOUL? HE WAS THERE LATE! STOP FAVORING THESE SH*T HEADS!" screamed Griffin

"TECHNICAL FOUL, WIZARDS 23" stated Joey Crawford as he walked over to the scorers table "NEXT TIME, I WOULD THINK A ROOKIE WOULD LEARN BETTER THEN TALK SH*T WITH ME, NOW GET OUT OF HERE"

"WHAT!! YOU SON OF A..." yelled Griffin as he tried to throw himself at Crawford, but was held back by O'Neal and Lai "Calm down Blake, don't make matters worse" said Popovich

--------

The Wizards would eventually fall by Ray Allen's game winning jumper to lose 95-96....Powe led the team in scoring and rebounds with 17 points and 6 boards, while Griffin got 3 points, 3 rebounds, 5 fouls, 2 technical fouls in 22 minutes and was ejected from the game, he was fined $50,000 for verbal abuses against the officals and for causing a delay of game...

------Later that evening, Wizards private plane-------

"Blake, just forget about that stuff tonight, it happens, we have all been through those things before, just let it go. The officials are going to be hard on you because you are a rookie, you can't change that fact, but you can change your reaction to those calls and play smarter so you don't get those calls." said Popovich to Griffin

"Yeah, i know, sorry about it coach." answered Griffin "I was just frustrated at everything, being drafted lower then expected, not playing well and not getting along with the team....It won't happen again"

"Good, now get some rest, we gotta face those same guys tomorrow night too" said Popovich as he walked off to his own seat

Walking along the corridor after using the bathroom, Leo Lai heard everything, and was about to walk away when...."Leo, come over here for a sec"

"Coach? what is it?" asked Lai

"You heard it all didn't you?" said Popovich

"no of course not...i mean yes, every bit of it" admitted Lai

"look, i know he has been a bit of a jerk to you and everybody else, but he's got his own problems as well, i am not asking for much, just being a good teammate and helping each other is all i ask for. That's to your benefit as well because i'm sure you know, teamwork is what wins basketball games" said Popovich

---------The Next Morning, 6:30am: Wizards training gym---------

Lai was up early as usual and headed towards the practice court for his usual pre-practice practice, but he noticed something different...he heard sounds of a ball being slammed on some hard surfaces..

"Thats strange, who else is here besides me this early in the morning?" thought Lai to himself, opening the door to the court, and he saw fellow rookie Blake Griffin there practicing rebounding and playing in the low post, when Blake looked up and saw Lai, a sense of dread hit him as he knows that he'll get humiliated by his fellow rookie, especially after all the boasting that he has done about how naturally gifted he was...however...

"Yo sup Blake, wanna practice together? we need to get our revenge on those green sh*ts tonight" was the words that came out of Lai's mouth, Griffin simply stared in surprise..."We are a team man, whatever happened in the past, let go of it, i came into the NBA to win championships, that's my only goal, and i'm sure that's the goal of everyone else as well, but we'll need to work together to achieve that, peace?" continued Lai

"Yeah...thanks Leo" answered Blake "Say, can you help me with my mid range game a bit?"

-----------Later that evening, Verizon Center: Wizards vs Celtics------------

"Allen's shot wont go, Griffin with another rebound, his 15th of the game, 10 seconds remaining, here comes Lai on the break, ALLEYOPP---TO GRIFFIN! YES!!! AND THE WIZARDS TAKE IT, 85-83, WHAT A WAY TO CLOSE OUT THE BALL GAME" announced Marv Albert "What an amazing game by the rookie duo, Griffin with 14 points and a career high 15 rebounds, Lai with 16 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds, not to mention hooking up with each other for the game winning alleyopp dunk...and they did it, against the TWO TIME DEFENDING CHAMPS! What a sensational game"

-------Wizards locker room-------

"YEAH BABY, WE GOT 'EM"
"GREAT FINISH YOU TWO"

"Hey Leo?" said Griffin in between getting crushed by the rest of the team "Nice Pass, it was perfect"

"No problem man, nice catch and finish, we gave them what they deserved" answered Lai, fighting off Arenas and Ariza who were trying to jump onto him "We got the Cavs next, lets bring them down"

Doug Collins and Flip Saunders saw all of this, and quietly exchanged hi-fives....it was indeed the correct move bringing in Gregg Popovich, not only is the team more focused and plays much better defense then before, but the guys are starting to get along (especially Lai and Griffin), the future looks bright for the team in DC.

[Valor]

Atlanta's Mike Woodson Fired
November 19th 2009


The Atlanta Hawks have announced yesterday that they have fired head coach Mike Woodson.

Woodson, who has coached the Hawks for 5 full seasons now, entered his Hawks coaching career as a rookie head coach. He has taken the Hawks in back to back playoff performances in 07-08 and 08-09, with a 53-29 record last season. However, the Hawks have started this season 0-8 and management has apparently decided that Woody's time is up.

Woodson will be replaced by Nelson Cunningham


Wizards' Powe Out with Separated Shoulder
November 19th 2009


The Washington Wizards have announced that Backup Forward Leon Powe has a separated right shoulder and will be out for 1-2 weeks.

Powe suffered the Injury late in the second quarter in the game against the Cavaliers, he crashed into the scorer's table after saving a loose ball and immediately grabbed his shoulder in pain.
A further analysis found no structural damage and Powe will be able to return in 1-2 weeks time.

The Wizards signed Powe in the offseason to a multi-year deal after he won 2 back to back championships with the Boston Celtics in the previous 2 seasons. Leon is in his 4th NBA season and is averaging 8.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 0.6 apg, 1.1 spg, 0.3 bpg in 18.7 minutes per game coming off the bench for the Wizards, Powe is shooting almost 61% from the field and 62.5% from the free throw line.


Wizards Star Gilbert Arenas Out With Strained Achillies
November 21st 2009


Yes, that's right, Wizards All Star Guard Gilbert Arenas is out with an injury again. Fortunately for the Wizards, it's relatively minor then the ones he has been suffering in the past year or two.

Arenas is suffering from a strained achillies from the Wizards' blowout win against the Miami Heat earlier today, he drove into Mario Chalmers of the Heat and rolled on the floor, grabbing his leg in pain. 20000 Wizards fans held their breaths but was relieved to see Arenas get up with the help of his teammates. the Wizards trainers are estimating his injury to take 1-2 weeks to heal.

Note: In the same game that Arenas got injured, the Wizards held the Heat to a franchise low 11 points in the first quarter, and Shaquille O'Neal of the Wizards recorded a career high 7 steals in the 107-75 blowout win....

[kibaxx7]

Great way to finish against the Celtics. Both Powe and Arenas out, you gonna need more help from the bench.

[Valor]

Shaq lights up MSG for 45 Points
November 28th 2009


It seems like for every player, each opportunity to play in Madison Square Garden, the world's most famous arena is a motivation to shine and perform well.

Last season, Kobe Bryant of the LA Lakers came in here and scored 61 points, a new MSG record. Then, Lebron James of the Cavaliers came in and almost had a 50 point triple double.

This time round, it's the 38 year old Hall of fame center Shaquille O'Neal of the Washington Wizards that's lighting up MSG. O'Neal scored 45 points, the most points he has scored since he put up 49 for the Lakers against the Celtics on March 21, 2003. Shaq also had 6 rebounds in the Wizards' 120-116 win over the hometown Knicks.

"It was cool," O'Neal said. "Guys were really looking for me. I've been saying all year if I can get those touches like that, I think I can do that every night."

There was no one on the Knicks roster that could stop him, even as they doubled and tripled team him down low, he simply fought through all the contact and dropped the ball in the hole. O'Neal would have gotten a much higher scoring total had he not bricked 14 of his 20 free throw attempts. Eddie Curry of the Knicks fouled out of the game defending Shaq, and David Lee had 5 fouls doing the same thing, or rather, getting dominated and posterized would be the correct term.

Wizards rookie Leo Lai also had a great game in his debut at the World's Most Famous Arena, establishing new career high in scoring with 26 points, he also had 14 assists and impressively, at 6'2", posterized the 6'11" Knicks center Eddie Curry early in the 3rd quarter on a Wizards' fast break.

The Wizards, who had the league's worst record with 21-61 last season, are now redeeming themselves. They are currently on a 7 game winning streak (last 3 without Arenas, last 4 without Powe) and are leading the league with an impressive 12-3 record.

[Martti.]

Griffin looks like Beasley in this dynasty, similar stats like he did in his first season

Wow, Shaq still dominating.. I should really invest in 2K-series Nobody reads the Live dynasty section

But yeah, this is looking to be as good your Bulls